


It’s the duty of a retainer

by bluejaymorse



Series: Fire Emblem Drabbles [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Laslow doesn’t die, M/M, also mentions of blood, elise is here and she’s great, loved getting this prompt, not graphic i promise, thats the point, the title is just misleading, there’s a brief fight with swords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 22:05:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19159900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluejaymorse/pseuds/bluejaymorse
Summary: “Xanlow fic idea: assassins try to kill Xander,but Laslow stops them just outside Xander’s door.Xander comes running out to see what the noises were, only to see 3 dead assassins and *DUN DUN* Laslow leaning against a wall with a stab wound in this side.He’s like ‘oh hey milord, sorry I woke you up’ then passes tf out while Xander panics because fuckfuckfuck Laslows bleeding out and he’ll never get to tell him how much he loves him fuck!Don’t feel obligated to write it if you don’t want to tho :>” - teddiboii on tumblrI wrote it, and I loved this prompt





	It’s the duty of a retainer

**Author's Note:**

> this is not beta’d, so if you see any mistakes in spelling or grammar, please tell. english is my second language and wow it’s hard, wtf

It wasn’t uncommon for assassins to try and kill the royals. As leaders of the kingdom, they had to be in high alert, anything was a threat. That’s why every prince and princess had retainers, to keep them safe no matter what. It was their duty, for some it was their reason to live. It didn’t matter how capable a fighter they were, they needed to be protected, no matter the cost. Xander trusted both his retainers, and knew that no matter what, Laslow and Peri would keep him safe. Every night he could sleep without the fear of waking up with a knife against his throat and no weapon to defend himself with. 

Xander walked down the halls, going to his room in silence as Peri walked right by his side, her lance in her hands as she looked around. She looked ready, no, eager for someone to impale. Not odd, coming from her. 

“Have you seen Laslow?” Xander looked at her. She shook her head. 

“Nope, not this afternoon.” it was all she said before hopping along. The conversation ended there. It was rather later, and Xander was feeling tired. He couldn’t wait before getting to his room and finally getting some rest. Sleeping seemed like a luxury, the looming war he felt coming wasn’t letting him sleep well the past few days, maybe that night he could sleep even if just a few hours. 

He arrived to his room, and once he entered, Peri walked away. Xander heard her footsteps trotting down the hall as she went to sleep herself to her own chambers. That could only mean that Laslow was supposed to watch his door tonight, yet he was nowhere to be seen. Xander trusted Laslow to fulfill his duties, but most of the time, it seemed that chasing down ladies around town seemed to be the one thing running through his mind at all times. Xander scoffed at the thought.

Stripping off of his daily clothes, he put on his sleeping wear. Everything seemed to be moving slow, his eyelids closing on themselves. That night, he would finally get some well deserved sleep. 

Laslow was around town, like he always was. Yet, when night fell, he was right where he was supposed to be. Standing outside his lord’s door, watching over his sleep. He couldn’t complain about the job. Someone with his level of experience with the sword could fend off any number of enemies that tried to dare attack his master while defenseless. 

The first thing Laslow noticed was the lack of guards around the hallway. Normally there were at least five guards walking around, patrolling, or standing next to the windows in case assassins tried to climb the walls. That night there was absolutely no one except Laslow. The air felt dense, like time stopped. Something was wrong, yet he couldn’t figure out what. 

He turned around and entered his master’s room. Laslow opened the door and closed it with extreme caution. He knew how overworked Xander was. How he attended every war council to then train tirelessly. Disturbing his sleep was the last thing he wanted. He tiptoed around. Making sure everything was in place, he walked towards the window. The room was many floors up the castle. If assassins tries to climb through this window, they would have to be extremely trained. His hand graced over the locks of the window before locking it securely. Whatever dreading feeling he had would not enter Xander’s room through the window. 

Xander’s room was big, there was no denying. The floor was stone, meaning it wouldn’t creak it Laslow walled around. He made sure everything was in order, that no one could enter through the window if they managed to get up there. With one last look at the room, he walked out. 

Laslow was right to worry. As soon as he walked out of the room, he felt a piece of clothing around his neck. Someone was choking him, trying to knock him out or kill him. At that moment, he realized they were after Xander. His vision blurred, his hands grasping at his neck to free it from them. He leaned forward, and with force, stood back up, throwing the person against the wall. Once free, he unsheathed his sword and looked behind. 

Three men, faces covered with masks and hoods. They looked like trained assassins, and they must’ve been, since they got rid of every single guard in the hall. Laslow was their last pebble before reaching the crown prince. 

“Three against one? Ah that hardly seems fair, a dance should be of two.” he joked, he was never serious. His neck still hurt, and as he held in a cough, one of the men struck at him. They had daggers, one of them had a bow and arrow.

Laslow knew that the archer wouldn’t be able to fight from up close, so once he dodged the initial attack, he quickly attacked him. It was a quick, clean strike, it didn’t kill him, but it knocked him out. Only two more men, and that, he was dreading. The weakness he got after being attacked by ninjas wasn’t good, he hated it, but it at least didn’t stop him from fighting. 

They attacked at the same time. One of them went for his face while the other didn’t hesitate to go from up. He blocked one of the attacks, the other attack graced him. He took the opportunity and attacked back. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. Sure, one of them was knocked out (probably dead, a sword to the side isn’t ideal), but two of them still had high spirits. Laslow could let them kill his liege. 

It was risky, give that he was weakened, but he attacked, thrusting his sword into one of the assassins, surely killing him. He heard a small gasp come from the man, he twisted his sword inside him, making sure he would stay dead. From behind, came the other assassin, and he dug his dagger in Laslow’s back. 

“Hngh!!” he groaned rather loudly, the sudden pain was insufferable, but he took the chance. With movements as fast as he could, he took out his sword and swung it behind him, killing the other man quicker. 

What was probably a fight of five minutes felt like forever. It was late, dead silent. He looked around him. The two assassins were surely dead, he walked over to the archer instead and knelt down. Two fingers on his neck and he found out the archer was alive. He would be taken to the prisons for interrogation, and once they took every piece of information out of him, they were sure to kill him. Laslow couldn’t care less.

His mind drifted back to his side. His hand reached under his shirt, and that’s when he realized why it hurt so bad. It wasn’t a dagger it was a sword, and it went right through him. He had a hole on his side and was bleeding out. “Uh oh.” he whispered. He rested his back against the wall, weakened, he slowly slid down until he was sitting down. The logical reason would be to look for a healer, but the closest person who could use a staff was princess Elise, and he wasn’t going to wake her up. He was going to die. “If Selena finds out this is how I die, she’s going to go back in time to kill me herself.” he whispered to himself. His stupid joke made him laugh, which only made the wound hurt even more. A single tear rolled down, both from the pain and fear. Was it pride what stopped him from waking up Xander and asking for help? Was it that he never got a proper chance to say goodbye? 

Xander was awake, though. He hadn’t been awake for long, but he wasn’t a heavy sleeper. There had been a small thud and what sounded like a clanging of weapons. He quickly reached for Siegfried, rested against the wall next to his bed, and slowly approached the door. It was dead silent, but he didn’t know the outcome of the fight. One hand on the door handle, the other gripped Siegfried tightly, he opened the door and stood ready. There was no one. 

“You’re a little bit late to the fight.” he knew that voice. Laslow. He looked down and there he laid. Back rested against the wall, a pool of blood around him while three men laid dead. “Handled them all myself.” 

“Laslow!” Xander quickly dropped Siegfried on the floor as he knelt down to help his retainer. No matter how much Laslow tried to hide it, Xander could see he was in pain. The way his eyes barely opened, his words slurred. “What happened?” 

“Three assassins came after you.” Laslow voice was weak, but he seemed awake enough. He pointed at the bodies, but his left hand stayed on his wound. “Fought them off, archer is alive, I thought I’d- hngh,” 

“You’re gravely wounded.” Xander said, noticing where Laslow’s left hand laid. “Let me see.” 

“No, it’s okay, milord, I-“ 

“Let me see, Laslow.” Xander spoke firmly, yet he couldn’t hide the care and worry he had for his dear retainer. His friend. “If it’s a deadly wound, then you should treat it as soon as you get the chance.” 

“It’s not that bad, I promise, I…” but before he could finish, he passed out. 

Xander stood frozen, worried. He never froze in moments of high stress. He prides himself on solving problem quickly, but this was Laslow. Laslow, who was bleeding out just outside his door. Any wrong move and he could be dead. He quickly took Laslow in his arms, carefully taking him back to his room. He couldn’t let Laslow died, not when he hadn’t yet told him how he truly felt. He laid the man on his bed, slowly and carefully, Xander took off Laslow’s shoulder shield and shirt. 

His entire shoulder was drenched in blood, a gnarly wound that went from the back to the front was there. It kept bleeding. Xander looked around, and quickly put on the first coat. He needed to find Elise. The hallway was totally empty, and given the fact that Laslow had just fought three assassins, it meant that the guards were dead. Elise was the closest he could find. He knocked on her door. 

“Elise, wake up, please. It’s an emergency.” His voice was more broken and rushed that he expected. He was acting quickly, but the stress and worry of Laslow dying has him on edge. He was scared of losing Laslow. Like he lost his past retainers, and he would lose the one man he’s cared about like he hasn’t cared for anyone else. 

“Xander?” her soft voice came from the other side of the door. The door slowly opened and there she stood, her hair held up in two buns and her nightgown wrinkled. “Big brother, what’s wrong?” 

“Please tell me you keep a staff in your room. It’s an emergency, Elise.” 

“Yes! I’ll go get it.” she quickly went back to her room, and in less than five seconds, she had one of her staffs on her hands. “What happened?” 

“Assassins entered the castle, Laslow took care of them, but he is gravely wounded.” Xander said, walking behind Elise. It was a big brother instinct, but he really wished she could walk a little bit faster. He really didn’t want to bother any of his siblings, but he couldn’t bear to lose him. 

“Assassins!? Oh no!” she said, and quickened her pace. They reached Xander’s room once more. Laslow still laid on the bed, the sheets stained red. The room smelled of blood, a stench that Xander wished he could keep out of his chambers, but it was too late for that now. “I’ll get right on it!” she sat on her knees, right next to Laslow, and raised her staff. 

She started healing Laslow as fast as she could. Xander could see the wound slowly closing, but Laslow’s breathing was still short and shallow. 

“Will he live?” Xander asked, pacing from side to side near the bed. Elise hummed a quick yes, but that didn’t stop Xander’s worrying. He felt like crap, scared. If he had told Laslow how he felt sooner, he wouldn’t be worrying about never getting to tell him. His siblings knew how he felt towards Laslow, and they promised not to tell anyone. They always urged him to admit his feelings, especially Camilla and Elise, but he never listened to them. He was confident that he would have time for that in future. He took life for granted, something one shouldn’t do in times of war. That was his mistake. 

“He will live, but he is very weak.” Elise said once she was done, putting her staff down. “I had to use the staff three times to fully heal him.” she looked up at Xander, worried. “Are the assassins still around? I should tell Effie that,” 

“Do not worry, Elise. Laslow took care of the assassins.” Xander sat down at the edge of the bed, hands on his knees. “You can go back to sleep in peace, and thank you. Forgive me for waking you up.” 

“Don’t apologize!” she said, now standing in front of Xander, her staff being held tightly on her hands as she looked at her big brother. “I saved Laslow’s life, I know how much he means to you, big brother.” the was a small pause between them. “Maybe you should tell him. He almost died today. You never know. Good night, big brother!” and with that, she hopped away. 

Xander smiled. It was small, but it was still there. He stood and walked over to the bucket at the edge of his room. A small bucket filled with water for cleaning, whenever the maids entered his chambers to clean. He took a clean cloth and damped it. The wound was healed, but the blood still covered most of his torso, and the sheets were deep red. 

He sat next to Laslow and started cleaning. Mental warfare was going on inside his head. Maybe he should listen to Elise and Camilla, admit to Laslow how he really feels. Yet, the fear that he would ruin the trust he had built with him would be ruined if he just confessed. There was nothing he could do. Even if he confessed, Laslow wasn’t even nohrian; Laslow would have to go back to his homeland. A selfish part of him wished that Laslow would stay in Nohr just for him. 

A small hum broke him from his thoughts. Laslow was waking up. Xander stopped cleaning the blood and quickly helped him get comfortable. “Laslow, are you awake?” 

“Am I not dead? I was sure I died.” it was a small whisper, but Xander could recognize that humorous tone anywhere. It annoyed him and charmed him to no end. “Where am I- Milord!” Laslow opened his eyes and saw Xander. He quickly sat down. 

“Laslow, lay down. Elise healed you, but you’re still weak.” Xander places both hands firmly on Laslow’s shoulders, laying him back down into the bed. “Your wound was horrid.” 

“In that case, I should go back to my chambers.” Laslow was protesting, but he still laid back down. He wasn’t going to argue with Prince Xander when he looked dead serious. 

“No, stay. You’re already here.” Xander’s voice was firm. It almost sounded like an order, a command, but Laslow knew better. Xander was merely worried. 

“Sir, your sleep, I shouldn’t take your bed, it feels wrong. This,” 

“Laslow, that is an order.” Well, Laslow was wrong. It was an order. He didn’t know why. Xander cared for him, he knew that, but he looked distraught. “You almost died today, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” 

“Probably mourn, and then get another retainer.” Laslow chuckled. It was weak, his body still begged him for rest. “I know you care for me, milord, but I am merely your retainer. It is my duty to protect you.” 

“It is not your duty to die for me.” Xander stood up from the bed, looking at Laslow. His eyelids weighed, he rubbed them and looked back at his retainer, who laid on his bed still covered with dried blood. “I explicitly explained to you the circumstances in which my past retainers died, and I said I didn’t wish for you and Peri to die like that for me. If you died, I would be heartbroken.” 

“Milord, aren’t your feelings for me going a little deeper than friendship.” Laslow jested, he laid back down on the bed more comfortable and winked. It wasn’t the best of moments to joke, or the best joke, but it was one of the ways he sealed with uncomfortable situations. He expected Xander to scold him, or to simply look at him with an exasperated glare, but it was none of those two. Xander simply looked away. 

Laslow paled. It was exactly that. 

“Listen, Laslow. It’s best if you just ignore this. I’m just glad you’re alive.” Xander ribbed one hand across his already messy hair. It was easy to do so when his circlet wasn’t in the way. “Rest, and tomorrow we’ll take care of the assassin you left alive.”

“Milord, wait, we could speak of this if you wish to. I truly don’t mind! I,” 

“You’re weak, and your body just healed from a mortal injury, it needs time to settle. Lay back down.” Xander reached for the lamp, and with a little bit of oil, he turned it on. “I’ll be here working on some-“ 

“My lord, please listen!” Laslow sat down, setting his feet on the ground. The sudden movement made him dizzy, but that didn’t stop him. Xander had sat down on his bed as his head shook. Laslow was shocked by the sudden discovery. Prince Xander felt attracted to him, romantically. “It’s best if we spoke about this, I promise you won’t be disappointed by the-“

“Laslow, forget anything was ever spoken.” Xander wasn’t facing Laslow anymore so Laslow took drastic measures. 

It was less than a minute, but Laslow remembered every single second. In silence, he stood up from the bed and walked over to Xander. As soon as he approached him, he faced him and didn’t hesitate to connect lips with him. If Xander was going to interrupt him every time he tried to speak, then he might as well stop talking at all. 

To say Xander was shocked was an understatement. Safe to say, he didn’t know what was happening at first, but as soon as he caught on to the fact that Laslow was kissing him, his hand slowly reached up. The palm of his hand rested against the soft face of his retainer, and he slowly closed his eyes to take in the moment. It was a feeling he had only imagined. 

The situation in itself was less than ideal. The fact that Laslow has to be in mortal peril for them both to make a move on each other was on them. Xander didn’t care, it somehow worked, and Laslow was alive after all. It was a short kiss. Laslow’s hands slowly reached the back of Xander’s neck, and his fingers took gentle hold on Xander’s curls. 

Xande pulled away. “I, ahem,” he cleared his throat, his cheeks tinged pink. “I didn’t know you felt this way too, I should’ve said something-“ 

“Sooner? Yeah, me too.” Laslow smiled “I feared it would just be taken as one of my approaches towards everyone, and being rejected by you wasn’t something that I wanted to-“ Laslow stopped his own rambling and took a deep breath. “Let’s just talk about this tomorrow, yes? It’s late at night, and you’re right, I do need rest.” 

“Please use my bed.” Xander said. “We’ll speak about this tomorrow, no doubt.” 

Laslow gave him one last, honest smile; the kind that made Xander fall for him in the first place. Xander turned back at his empty piece of parchment, and couldn’t help the rare smile that formed on his lips. He had something to look forward to tomorrow, and absolutely nothing would change the feeling of pure happiness that he felt at that moment. Everything was going to be okay, as long as he had Laslow with him, no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed !! if you have any prompt ideas, don’t hesitate to send an ask to my tumblr @badgamergal 
> 
> kudos are appreciated! comments even more!


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